Six evidence-informed tips on how to optimize learning from instructional videos

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Learning from instructional video (IV) is popular for people of all ages and at all educational levels. The effects of studying IVs on learning outcomes have traditionally been examined by two main research traditions. Research inspired by social-cognitive theories has focused mostly on the effects of video modelling examples, which are how-to demonstration videos in which a person shows how to complete a task or solve a problem. Research inspired by cognitive theories has predominantly examined the effects of other types of videos, such as short videos explaining a concept or longer recordings of lectures. In this chapter, we synthesize the findings from both research lines and provide six evidence-informed tips that can help educators and educational content developers decide how to design their IVs and how to support IV learning. Based on the available evidence, we suggest to (1) only present information relevant to learning, (2) provide cues to direct attention, (3) segment and pause (longer) videos, (4) show the presenter of the video on the screen, (5) show a demonstration from a first-person perspective, and (6) encourage generative learning activities. The chapter concludes with a discussion that details several suggestions for future IV research.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationDesigning Effective Digital Learning Environments
PublisherTaylor and Francis
Pages75-89
Number of pages15
ISBN (Electronic)9781040264348
ISBN (Print)9781003386131
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 30 Dec 2024

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 selection and editorial matter, Andreas Gegenfurtner and Ingo Kollar; individual chapters, the contributors.

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